Pataliputra is the ancient name of Patna, the present day capital of Bihar. Pataliputra has had many names throughout its continuous history – Pataligram, Pataliputra, Palibothra, Kusumpur, Pushpapur, Azeemabad, Bankipore, and the current Patna. The name Pataliputra may have derived from the Sanskrit word pattan, meaning port, or from the word patali, meaning trumpet flower, in honor of Patali, a legendary queen. Two of the city’s other names, Pushpapur and Kusumpur, both mean City of Flowers. Ancient Chinese texts refer to Pataliputra as Pa-lin-fou.

Pāṭaliputra (Devanagari: पाटलिपुत्र), modern-day Patna, was a city in ancient India, originally built by Ajatashatru in 490 BC as a small fort (Pāṭaligrama) near the River Ganges, and later the capital of the ancient Mahājanapadas kingdom of Magadha. Afterwards Sher Shah Suri made Pataliputra his capital and changed the name to modern Patna